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Cat Forum / General Topics / June 2005cats and balconies
hey there: living in a place on the seventh floor with a balcony and worried my cat might step off sometime chasing a bird or a squirrel. I can't see putting her on a tether or keeping her off the balcony entirely because she loves it so much and would nag me too much if I didn't let her. Anyone have any experience with the actual best ways to catproof a balcony. I'm thinking a chicken wire fence on the bottom 3-4ft. and maybe a plexiglass guard on the top railing. Just wondering if anyone has heard of anything better or maybe more aesthetically pleasing. life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) > hey there: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) Have her wear a parachute when she goes out on the balcony? >hey there: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) If you keep your cat inside, you won't have any problems. > hey there: > > living in a place on the seventh floor with a balcony and worried my cat [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) I would definitely tether her and only let her out if you are there. Personally, I'd be too afraid to let mine out. I'm on the 8th floor and she does just fine looking out the windows of my balcony. I'm sure your cat loves it and if you're comfortable with it, I'd get her a harness thing, a collar would probably hurt if she jumped up, and make sure it's short enough she can't get on the railing. They're very resourceful and I wouldn't want to risk it. From 4th floor (penthouse level) of our building: No, no, and no. No tether, no chickenwire, no plexiglass. No. >> hey there: >> > living in a place on the seventh floor with a balcony and worried my [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > short enough she can't get on the railing. They're very resourceful and I > wouldn't want to risk it. >From 4th floor (penthouse level) of our building: >No, no, and no. No tether, no chickenwire, no plexiglass. No. Be careful what you enclose the balcony with (if anything.) Heaven forbid you have a fire and have to get out through the balcony, you need a way to get out to the ladder a fire department would use to rescue you. Also be aware that in the event of a fire that blocks the stairway the only means of egress may well be your balcony or someone elses balcony. Also check you local fire code. It may be illegal to encloee the balcony in any capacity. Also the buiding may have their own regulations on what can be doen to enclose the porch. As well as the town/city may have it's own regualtions. ------------------------------------------ http://www.barnabascollins.blogspot.com : hey there: : [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] : : life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) They sell very effective cat nets for balconies, easy to fit and quite nice to look at - and not too expensive either. Try the internet, a pet shop or DYS place. Carola >They sell very effective cat nets for balconies, easy to fit and quite nice >to look at >- and not too expensive either. >Try the internet, a pet shop or DYS place. Again check your local regulations. Any local regulations may require that it either not be used on exits or that it be removable easily in a split second even by someone disabled. Remember in a high rise fire some have been fored jump off the upper stories to survive. Stairs are not always an option. (One set of stairs, fire blocks those stairs, elevators are not to be used in an ermergency.) Also be aware if a disabled person lives in the aparment that person has to be able to remove that netting easily. Again check your building manager/town or city regulations/etc. The bottom line: it may mean you have to keep the cat inside the apartment. ------------------------------------------ http://www.barnabascollins.blogspot.com Per Barrnabas Collins: >The bottom line: it may mean you have to keep the cat >inside the apartment. Can anybody comment on the likelihood of a cat going off a balcony? Ours has done pretty well so far climbing up and down a couple 40-50 foot-high trees in our back yard. At first, I thought "Geeze, this cat's days are numbered.." but that was some months ago and there hasn't been any problem yet. One thing that comes to mind is that I imagine that claws grip tree bark pretty well and if a balcony were tile or smooth wood there might be a problem...  SignaturePeteCresswell > Per Barrnabas Collins: >>The bottom line: it may mean you have to keep the cat inside the [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > pretty well and if a balcony were tile or smooth wood there might be a > problem... If it were my cat, like it or not, it would become a totally indoor cat unless I was personally with it. Even in that case, on an elevated floor, I wold have it wearing a safety harness and a leash. I would rather have a possibly unhappy and live cat than one that had died from a fall. SignatureWayne Boatwright *¿* ____________________________________________ Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day. Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974 I used to live in an apartment building. On the 7th floor to be exact. I came home one day to find my little monkey outside waiting for me when I came home from work one morning. She was about 1.5 years old. When I came home from work I looked up at my apartment and found the screen on the window was folded down.. like it had been pulled out around the top. I guess what had happened was over the nightime she was pawing at bugs that landed on the screen. I let her out on the balcony only when I was home so I could watch her. I never would have thought that simply leaving the window open would be a problem. I took her to the vet at once and amazingly she had no broken bones. although she was a little sore. This was 2 years ago now and my little monkey is still doing fine. Dawn > Per Barrnabas Collins: > >The bottom line: it may mean you have to keep the cat [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > One thing that comes to mind is that I imagine that claws grip tree bark pretty > well and if a balcony were tile or smooth wood there might be a problem... >>They sell very effective cat nets for balconies, easy to fit and quite nice >>to look at [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > The bottom line: it may mean you have to keep the cat > inside the apartment. Dude, you need to relax. You're waaay too uptight about "rules and regulations". >Dude, you need to relax. You're waaay too uptight about "rules >and regulations". When you live in lots olf aparments over the years in lots of cities/towns you learn you have to pay attention to those rules and regulations. You don't and you'll be out on your ear/subject to a hefty fine/or getting cited by the authorities. One of the reasons I now own my own house is all those rules and regulations. The city/town regulations are still there but now i'm my own landlord, ------------------------------------------ http://www.barnabascollins.blogspot.com Thave to keep the cat >> inside the apartment. > >Dude, you need to relax. You're waaay too uptight about "rules >and regulations". Most stupid response to date. > hey there: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > life sure changes with a cat, don't it? :) 'twere me, I'd put a box or table right up against the railing so she can look out and if I was feeling creative, maybe a board as a railing at a 45 degree angle so she's not tempted to jump up on it. pat |
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